Direct Mail

Copywriting legend Herschell Gordon Lewis has said that envelopes serve two purposes: to get themselves opened and to keep their contents from “spilling out onto the streets.” While sound production makes the latter a simple goal, the former poses a more formidable challenge. Understanding this, Alexandria, Va.-based trade association Envelope Manufacturers Association (EMA) and its nonprofit research arm, the EMA Foundation, set out in late 2005 to conduct a study that would offer some insight into how people view and relate to envelopes. Since I know you love envelopes—in 2005, 63 percent of efforts received by the Who’s Mailing What! Archive were envelope packages—I thought

Don’t overlook online channels when putting together a marketing plan for the boomer market. According to Mary Furlong, CEO of Lafayette, Calif.-based Mary Furlong and Associates, an agency specializing in the boomer and senior markets, boomers are the most wired adult market. Indeed, boomers turn to the Internet to find answers to serious questions—ranging from health-related concerns to real-estate questions—which is an indication of their comfort level online, notes Furlong. “Sometimes marketers think, ‘I’ll just reach them through magazines and newspapers.’ But I think the new ‘Aha’ is to reach them through their BlackBerrys and reach them online,” says Furlong.

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They may be immigrants, they may prefer to be addressed in Spanish, and they may not be assimilated or acculturated, but many first-generation U.S. Hispanics live and buy in this country and in Puerto Rico. And they present a big opportunity for those publishers willing to learn how to successfully serve this consumer group with product and marketing pitches that meet their preferences. To illustrate, let me share some insights on how to apply the four traditional Ps of effective marketing to your direct marketing efforts targeting U.S. Hispanics. Product. If you have a successful English-language product, don’t assume you need to customize it for the

Telecom equipment provider and network specialist Ciena Corp. wanted to expand its footprint into segments such as broadband and the triple play of voice, video and data line. To do so, it had to effectively reach the top decision makers in the industries it serves. In the process of meeting this challenge, it shifted its focus from sales force-oriented customer acquisition efforts to a more integrated approach to marketing. Target Marketing spoke with Joe Cumello, Ciena’s director of marketing, about the recent success of its voice/video/data campaign aimed at C-level executives in the telecommunications industry. Target Marketing: What objectives did you set for your voice/video/data

Just because your database isn’t in the millions and your budget isn’t the size of Dell’s, that doesn’t mean you can’t test. But if your housefile is only 25,000 names and your usual mailings are no more than 35,000 pieces, how do you get statistically reliable data from your tests? The answer lies in repetition. Whatever testing rules you are following, the statistical hurdle of 50 or 100 orders can be daunting for a small business. Overcome that problem by testing the same concept repeatedly. For example, if you are curious about whether installment payments will benefit your product but are unsure how much of

About five years ago, Eric Bright first saw the Flapper™, a dimensional mail piece that unfolds and re-folds to present four different messaging panels. While Bright, senior director of consumer marketing at Franklin Covey, a provider of effectiveness training, productivity tools and assessment services based in Salt Lake City, thinks the mailer featured the Nickelodeon cartoon character SpongeBob Squarepants, he’s positive he and his colleagues couldn’t stop playing with the effort’s reconfigurable panels. So the team decided in the summer of 2001 to test a Flapper, a format that is patented by Intervisual Communications, a dimensional print and promotions company acquired this past March by

During the process of editing, writing and proofing articles for this issue, one message kept creeping up in many of the stories: A good business partnership leverages the knowledge of all parties for results that can be nothing short of astonishing. Some examples of how two heads (or three, four or five) are better than one: n Automotive dealer AutoNation doubled response to its customer direct mail efforts by working with direct marketing/printing firm DME to develop data-driven, customized communications; in turn, DME partners with document solutions firm Xerox and software company XMPie to provide its clients with cutting-edge printing technology. Read more about these fruitful

From our days as neophyte direct response marketers, we have heard the mantra: “Test, test, test. And when you’ve done that, test some more.” The reality is there’s no substitute for well-planned and carefully executed testing to move your brand’s direct results to the next level. The complications of multichannel marketing add to the complexity of marketing programs and, as a result, testing plans. But the Web offers opportunities as well. Everything on the Internet happens quickly. And it offers significantly lower testing expense—without incurring major production costs. So why not take advantage of the benefits available online to improve your entire direct response program?

Marketing That Takes Smarts School is a time for growth, for expanding one’s horizons, learning to work with others and gaining knowledge. Often, it’s a complicated place, full of challenges and rules, but ultimately a rewarding experience that stays with you all your life. Not surprisingly, marketing to those responsible for school administration often is just as complex, but also rewarding for those marketers who take the time to learn about the needs and dynamics of this customer base. Reading, Writing and Everything in Between When looking at the kindergarten through 12th grade school market, there are more than 138,000 district-level administrators in the United States serving